How to lay a tile beautifully and correctly on a wall

Laying tiles on the walls and floor of the bathroom

One of the most popular and popular coatings for rooms with high humidity for a long time remains ceramic tile. Such material allows you to realize any design ideas. But the cost of a good tile is quite high, and its laying can sometimes cost no less than the price of the material itself.

But having become acquainted with some stages of how to lay tiles on a wall, you can do all the work yourself, and the article will help in this.

The content of the article

Surface preparation
- Cutting and styling tools
Tile Laying Methods
- Technology of laying ceramic tiles

Surface preparation

Before laying the tiles on the old walls, it is necessary to prepare the base - remove the old coating. This can be done with a punch with a lance or a conventional chisel.

Tile removal sequence:

Seams between parts are wetted with a sponge.
The seams are cleaned from the grout mixture with a metal spatula.
By inserting a chisel or sharp end of the peaks into the butt seam, the tile is removed from the wall.
Dismantling parts is best done from top to bottom.

Removing old coating

You can watch the video in this article to prepare the surface before laying the tile on the wooden walls, and many other details on removing any coating before laying the ceramic tile.

Cutting and styling tools

Tile Tools

When choosing a tool, it is necessary to consider what operations are to be performed and the technology for their execution.

To work, you will need:

Trowel.
Master OK.
Spatula with cloves.
Rubber spatula.
A set of building levels, for the convenience of work length: 300 - 400 millimeters; 600 - 800 millimeters.
Plumb line.
Rubber mallet.
Capacity for solution.

If necessary, cutting and cutting parts will need:

Devices for cutting tiles. They can be the devices shown in the photo:

Ceramic Tile Cutting Tools

electric tile cutter;
a circular saw attached to a drill;
grinder with a diamond disk;
manual tile cutter;
hacksaw for metal;
nippers or tongs;
glass cutter;

The file is large.
Sandpaper.

Tile Laying Methods

Before how to lay tiles in the kitchen on the wall or floors, we suggest you get acquainted with the ways of the process.

The main ones are presented in the table:

Styling methods	Features
Traditional	Tiles are laid tightly to each other, parallel to the surface of the walls. An even pattern is obtained while observing the vertical and horizontal seams between the parts.
Diagonally	The image grid expands at an angle of 45 ° to the walls. For installation, square ceramic tiles are used, preferably plain. The disadvantage is the need to trim the elements, which takes a lot of time, and is accompanied by a large amount of waste. This option helps to hide errors on uneven floors, visually expand the room. The option is suitable for the entrance hall, kitchen, and best of all for the bathroom (seeFinishing a bathroom with tiles: material selection and installation). When laying: The first row is rectangular ceramic tiles, the length of which is equal to the diagonal of square tiles laid on the main surface. The second row - pre-prepared triangle tiles, located hypotenuse down. The subsequent rows are stacked in one of the ways: Horizontal rows. In this case, the lower and upper corners of the tile should be located on a straight vertical line, and the side corners should be located on a straight horizontal line. Inclined rows.
In a run	Each tile of the next row is placed in such a way that its middle is above the seam of the previous one. “Stacking” is carried out only in horizontal rows, clearly maintaining the thickness of the seam to avoid scattering of the elements.
Herringbone	Only rectangular tiles are used. There are two ways to stack: "Herringbone" - for irregularly shaped walls. In this case, the pattern looks better from monophonic ceramic tiles like wood. "Christmas tree with an attachment." To get a Christmas tree picture you need: Ceramic tiles should be placed diagonally, turning one tile to the left, the second to the right. The amount of waste will be minimal.
Combination of methods	This method combines several types of laying ceramic tiles in one room, at its discretion
Modular	This is an ideal solution for laying tiles on the floor and in small rooms. Before carrying out work, it is necessary to make a drawing of the pattern, with the exact dimensions of the parts and seams. The easiest way to achieve a modular effect is to use tiles “under a modular grid”
How to put tiles on the wall is not worth it
Stacking tiles	When laying ceramic tiles in a breakdown according to the pattern of the line, they look pretty rough
Checkerboard Chess	When laying tiles in a checkerboard pattern and placing them in a run-up, an optical effect will appear in which the walls and floor look curved

Tip: In any case, choosing the option of laying tiles, you must rely on common sense and be sure to draw a drawing on paper beforehand.

After preparing the tools, materials and selecting the installation method, you can proceed to the process.

Technology of laying ceramic tiles

How to lay tile on the wall, the sequence of work is presented in the table:

Process name	Installation instructions
Wall marking	Before laying the tiles on the walls, the surface is marked. Preparing a rail up to 1.5 meters long. Markings are applied on it with a pencil, imitating a number of stacked tiles, taking into account the width of the seams between them. A support bar is selected from a bar similar to a measuring part. Strictly marked by horizontal level for laying the bottom edge of the tiles of the second row. The support rail is fixed along this line horizontally to the floor level. If the floor is not completely even, the rail is mounted at a distance equal to approximately 1/2 of the tile in the center of the wall. If the horizontal level of the floor corresponds, the distance is taken equal to the side of the tile with the addition of two seam widths between the tiles, but the parts are laid from the second row. Using a measuring rod, the number of whole elements of the horizontal row is calculated. At the same time, those that will be reduced in length are better placed in the corners of the room. The middle vertical line on the wall is marked. The measuring rail determines the number of whole parts. A support vertical rail is installed, perpendicular to the horizontal
Tip: When laying tiles around the window, you must try to ensure that the elements adjacent to it are intact.
Glue application	Tiles should be laid on the wall from the bottom corner, which is formed by two planks. Adhesive covers approximately 1/2 m² of surface
Tip: To apply the adhesive in even strips with your own hands, use a spatula or spatula.
Laying tiles	The tile is slightly pressed onto the adhesive base, pressing it firmly to the floor. You can move it on the wall, for the correct location, until the glue has dried.
How to lay tiles on the walls	The tile is laid on a surface covered with glue. To obtain the same joint width between the tiles, plastic dividers are installed. The glue is left to dry.
Tile filling openings	When filling openings, the tile is cut with a special cutter, on which the desired size is set so that all parts are of the same size. If it is necessary to obtain a round or other special form of tile, a circular saw is used to cut it.
Tip: An electric tile cutter, for decorating a large area, will be much more convenient than a manual one.
Filling the gaps between the tiles	With a rubber scraper, the solution is carefully applied in the cracks between the parts in all directions. The placement of the solution in each slot is controlled. The sharp angle of the spatula draws a thin line of mortar.
End of work	All excess solution is wiped with a damp sponge until it solidifies. Tile polished with a dry cloth

When deciding to make repairs in the apartment, determine how to lay tile on the wall, it is necessary to choose the right pattern, its variant and dimensions depend on the size of the room, its shape and type of ceramic tile. In any case, everyone decides for himself which tile to buy for the wall, with which tools it will be more convenient to carry out work and the technology of laying the material on the wall.